Greg Abbott is off to a great start as governor. He is doing exactly what a governor ought to do. He has started by addressing the major needs of the state, roads foremost among them, but also education. He has assembled a formidable staff of experienced hands who know their way around the Capitol. I’m optimistic that he will not be awash in ideology.
I also anticipate that he will end up forming an alliance with Joe Straus in an effort to isolate Dan Patrick. There continues to be rumblings about Straus’s hold on the speakership, but every indication in recent weeks has been that Straus is getting stronger. There are rumblings that tea party groups will be coming to the Capitol to protest Straus’s reelection. But the odds are overwhelming that Straus will be reelected on day one. Then the hard work begins for Abbott, Straus, and Patrick. We’ll see where things stand after 140 days.
